Skip to content

Are Golden Retrievers Hyper?

Are Golden Retrievers Hyper?

Are Golden Retrievers Hyper?

Are Golden Retrievers Hyper? Generally, Golden Retrievers are not Hyperactive, but they will be as calm or hyper as you make them.

The Golden Retriever’s behavior and temperament is a hallmark of the breed and is described in the standard as ” friendly, kindly, and confident”. So, they are regarded as a relaxed and calm breed with a low level of hyperactivity in their behavior. But every individual dog has a different personality, and many other factors also affect their hyperactivity, including the environment, surroundings, feeding, stress, etc. Continue reading to learn more about golden retrievers’ temperament and behavior.

Breed Characteristics

Weight Range:

  1. Female: 55-65 lbs.
  2. Male: 65-75 lbs.

Height at Withers:

  1. Female: 22 inches
  2. Male: 24 inches

Other Body Features

  • Exercise Requirements: >40 minutes/day
  • Ears: Floppy ears (naturally)
  • Energy Levels: Average
  • The tendency to Drool: Low 
  • Longevity Ranges: 10-13 yrs.
  • The tendency to Dig: Low 
  • The tendency to Bark: Moderate
  • The tendency to Snore: Low
  • Bred For: Retrieving
  • Social/Attention Needs: High

Coat Characteristics

  • Coat Type: Straight
  • Coat Length: Medium
  • Overall Grooming Needs: Moderate
  • Coat Colours: Golden of various shades

Club Recognition

  • AKC Classifications: Sporting
  • Prevalence: Common
  • UKC Classifications: Gun Dog

Golden retrievers are lovely and versatile dogs. They’re known as great bird dogs, family pets, service dogs for the disabled, and rescue dogs.

Since golden retrievers are easy to please, they reply positively to obedience training. They complement this trait by being playful, affectionate and even-tempered.

Are Golden Retrievers Hyper? 1
Are Golden Retrievers Hyper?

So, Why is My Golden Retriever Hyper? 

Common causes of your golden retriever’s hyperactivity include not exercising enough, boredom, seeking attention, and stress.

Other possible causes include being in a new place, and you have inadvertently encouraged him to reap the rewards, separation anxiety, lack of training or eating the wrong foods.

How to get my Golden Retriever to Calm Down?

To get your golden retriever to prevent hyper, you should make sure that he is getting adequate training and daily exercise sessions along with a balanced diet and stress-free environment. You must get time to train him to seek your command before doing anything wrong.

You can also calm your retriever down by giving treats and encouraging their positive behavior. Again, you can distract him aggressiveness by giving toys or calming support medicines.

Golden Retriever History:

In the 1990s, the Golden Retriever was the most popular AKC breed. This ranking is not surprising as the dog has many characteristics that make it a perfect family pet. However, the Golden retrievers have their roots in the UK’s fields.

The Golden Retriever was developed by cross-breedings many other breeds, including the Spaniels, Collies, and Newfoundland (but not the Newfoundland we know today). The combination created a complicated, healthy swimming dog that could withstand cold water, track injured sport, and deal with crippled birds.

Today, Golden retrievers are not just good bird dogs; they are great family pets. They are also known as service dogs for the blind and disabled, search and rescue dogs, and best tracking dogs. They are unique, and very few other dogs can claim the potential of this breed.

Are Golden Retrievers Hyper? 2
Are Golden Retrievers Hyper?

Why is My Golden Retriever so Crazy?

Here are some common reasons why your Golden Retriever become hyper:

1. Lack of Exercising:

When these beautiful retrievers do not get enough exercise, they will often become hyper. This is because their goal is to exercise daily, and lack of exercise will make them overweight, fat, and bored.

Generally, they are recommended to exercise at least one hour per day like healthy adults. However, if it is still young, it is recommended to limit the exercise to 5 minutes at the age of one month as the joints are still developing.

It is more likely that lack of exercise is the main reason why your Golden Retriever is more hyper than any other possible causes.

2.  Attention

It can also be hyper because it is trying to get extra attention from you. If you don’t pay much attention to your Golden Retriever throughout the day, but you do when he is hyper, it will likely have learned that behaving that way will get your attention, leading it to do more.

If you think this could be the case, you can try to ignore it when trying to get your attention by being hyper. After a few repetitions, you can see the improvement in its behavior

3.  Boredom

Hyperness may be due to boredom in Golden Retrievers. This will not stem from getting enough training, exercise, or attention, so it’s essential to make sure that it does.

4.  Location

If your Golden Retriever is not hyper in one place but shows hyperactivity in some other place, then the hyperactivity in behavior is because of changing location. So please stick to one location and introduce or change their home slowly.

It is not uncommon for Golden Retrievers to do work or train in one place but do not do that in another. This is because of all the new things going on around it. Therefore, when you are training him, it is necessary to train him in several places.

5.  You’ve Been Encouraging It

The cause could also be that you have allowed the bad behavior by giving it things it wants when it behaves that way. If you are tempted to give something like treats, toys, or extra attention when your dog is hyper, it is more likely to do it more to get more rewards.

Are Golden Retrievers Hyper? 3
Are Golden Retrievers Hyper?

6.  Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety can cause hyperactivity in almost all the canines. Your dog doesn’t like to live without you, and it can make him uncomfortable. Many other symptoms often come with it, such as peeking inside or being destructive while you are away, or worrying when he sees that you are about to leave. Also, they will get more annoying and hyper with affected dogs when you are about to leave.

7.  Lack of Training

If you don’t train your Golden Retriever, it will behave and act the way it wants. So it’s essential to make sure you train your dog. So, basic commands such as sit, stand, fetch, come, go, etc., are enough.

8.  Feeding the Wrong Food

Hyperness may be due to a problem with his diet. Your Golden Retrievers may be eating things that they shouldn’t be or not getting proper nutrition from their diet. He will be more hyper when he eats a particular food again and again without any change in flavor or type

At What Age Do Golden Retrievers Calm Down?

When golden retrievers are 2 to 3 years old, you should expect the golden retrievers to calm down. This is because when the golden retrievers are 2 to 3 years old, they have a lot of pent-up energy that they have to manifest. Not surprisingly, they like to jump on new people or chew on everything possible

However, remember that there is no set age for them to be completely calm. Although some learn to relax and become more sedentary within four years, others do not show any calmness even when they are old.

Also, please don’t confuse it with their temperament, as temperament is usually stable depending on the breed’s characteristics and even its environment.

However, their calm behavior does not mean that they will run out of energy permanently. They will still have as much energy, or even more, as they get older. Remember, it’s not about draining their energy; it’s about channeling it

Are Golden Retrievers Calm Dogs?

Golden Retriever is a temperamental, intelligent, and loving dog. Golden retrievers have a mild temperament with children and are well-behaved with other pets and strangers.

These dogs want to please, which may explain why they respond well to obedience training and are such famous service dogs. They also like to work, whether it’s hunting birds or bringing their guardian’s slippers.

Golden retrievers often lack protective instincts, so don’t trust them in case of protection. They can get along with anyone who loves to play with them. However, some trained Golden retrievers will alert you when strangers are approaching.

This breed likes to be active. Remember, golden retrievers are known as bird dogs, so they want an excellent retrieval or swimming sport.

If exercise is provided daily, gold retrievers can adapt to any home type, even if it is a city apartment.

Golden retrievers are considered average shedders. Brushing/grooming once a week will make the coat look good.

How to Calm a Hyper Golden Retriever?

Here are some techniques and methods to calm your hyper Golden Retriever:

1.  Train your Retrievers

You can give your Golden Retriever a lot of training to prevent it from becoming hyper.

Start by teaching him to do simple things like sitting in a home environment where there are no external distractions. Once you can do that, you can be ready to teach him hard things like coming to you on command.

Once you can train your Golden Retriever to listen to you in a calm environment, you should prepare it to teach them everything in a more challenging environment.

2.  Give Them Adequate Exercise

It is essential to make sure that your Golden Retriever can take the recommended daily amount of exercise. It is generally advisable for them to get one hour of exercise per day like healthy adults.

You will find that only dog walks are not enough for your high-energy golden retriever, so you will need to find ways to do even more. One way is to play retrieving games such as fetch. Doing so will enable your Golden Retriever to quickly do a lot of work, which is more likely to give positive results.

If it is a young puppy, you can achieve the required exercise goals by playing with it and training it.

Are Golden Retrievers Hyper? 4
Are Golden Retrievers Hyper?

3.  Don’t Reward the Hyper Behaviour

It is important not to overdo their hyperactivity. Therefore, you should be careful not to reward him when they are acting hyper. Instead, you can try to ignore the hyperactivity if you can and then reward only when they treat you well.

Keep it occupied

You can also give him entertaining things like toys, bones, and puzzle games in addition to the above. But, once it is hyper, it will help avoid disruption, not encourage this behavior.

4.  Calming Support Medicines or Calming Chew Treats

Many calming support medicines and calming chew treats are available on the market you can buy and give to your Golden Retrievers. These chews are designed to calm your golden retrievers. This is something you can try.

5.  Get Help

If you can’t stop your Golden Retriever from being hyper, then consider seeking help from a dog behaviorist or pet veterinarian specialist. By doing this, you should see why this hyperactivity is happening and what you can do to make your dog behave normally.

Important things to consider about your Golden Retrievers  being hyper:

  6)  It Won’t Be Quick

When training your Golden Retriever, be patient. It will help him behave in a certain way in specific situations, stick to his training for a long time, make sure your dog is eating balanced and wholesome food, and help him exercise daily.

7)  Be Consistent

You must train your Golden Retriever regularly. If you train your Golden Retriever only once and then stop training him for a while, he will forget his training and develop hyperactivity.

8)  Use Positive Reinforcement

If you punish your Golden Retriever for acting hyper, your dog will possibly think that you are punishing him for the last thing that he did, which is coming to you. A better option would be to use positive enforcement training to reward your Golden Retrievers for behaving well and avoid rewarding it when misbehaving.

9) How Old Your Golden Retriever Is

It would help to take the age of your Golden Retriever into account. If it is still a dog, it will calm down as it gets older, but it is always important to take the time to train it, even though it is still young.

Are Golden Retrievers High Energy Dog Breed?

Golden Retrievers is a high-energy sports breed and requires a lot of exercise. As discussed above, lack of exercise can lead to various health problems, hyperactivity, and behavioral issues.

Therefore, for a healthy and happy dog ​​and owner, your beloved dog should be given as much physical activity as they need and they deserve!

If you are the type of person who likes to be at home with your feet in front of the TV, then the Golden Retriever is not the right breed for you.

But if you’re the sporty outdoor type, you have the perfect dog!

Or if you always want to be more active, well, you have the perfect dog! Excuses for quitting your exercise may be good for you, but they won’t be so good for your passionate dog.

Walking alongside you, running when you cycle, going long distances, occasional swimming and sports sessions, etc., all qualify for good Golden Retriever training. You will be fit and active and happy with each other if you do all these with your retriever.

Are Golden Retrievers Hyper? 5
Are Golden Retrievers Hyper?

When do the Golden Retrievers Calm down?

As we talked about from the beginning to calm down at the age of 2-3. Although the Golden Retriever has a status for being the ultimate family dog, it is primarily a working dog. This means they are born working dogs, and they need to stay active and healthy. Such dogs are born and bred to continue to perform the tasks expected of them, and this goal can be accomplished with encouragement.

Therefore, it is natural for them to have relatively high energy compared to other breeds of dogs. However, their dynamic state means that owners need to spend more time keeping them busy to be healthy and content.

What is the Best Age to Train a Golden Retriever?

For various reasons, the best age to start training your Golden Retriever is eight weeks of age.

Wherever you want your dog to go, friends and shop owners will want you to have some control over your dog while living on their premises. You will need to get to know your dog and must teach him to follow the commands.

Your dog should behave well all the time, so you should try to encourage good habits and stop the bad ones. Bad habits are more comfortable to prevent than to cure.

It’s a good idea to get into the training routine and get used to it as soon as possible, for both you and your dog, so that you can continue with it for the rest of your life.

Training is a good quality time for both you and your dog. It boosts up building a relationship and strengthening your relationship that is good for everyone involved.

There are many positive and fun ways to train modern dogs, like shaping and clicker training, that will not stress your dog and achieve great results. So it would help if you also tried that technique with your Golden retriever. There is no need to be physical in training anymore, so you don’t have to wait for your dog to grow so he can handle it better.

Is it Good to Wait a Few Months to Start Training?

Many scientific data and experimental results prove that a puppy who starts training at 5-6 months can quickly catch up to and equal the skills of a puppy that started training at 8-10 weeks.

So waiting a little longer, maybe a few months, and just letting your puppy become a dog doesn’t necessarily hurt your training goals in the long run. But you will have a dog that does not know any commands, so you cannot ask them to sit, stay, leave or do as you say. So it is good to start training as soon as possible.

If your Golden Retriever lives inside the house with you and your family and takes them to city streets and other people’s buildings, you must control them. So it is essential to start training early, and it will be beneficial for you.

Here are a Few Simple Set of Laws to Follow when Training a Small Puppy

When training a young Golden Retriever dog, you need to follow some rules to get the best results and not stress your dog in any way:

Never correct your dog! Even when they are a few months old, they are too young to understand. They do not have a developed brain, nor do they have enough self-control to do better. So don’t correct them. If they do wrong in training, it won’t be appropriate.

Keep only two or three-minute-long training sessions a few times every day. Their focus will be concise, and you don’t want them to get bored and dislike training. 2 or 3 minutes of training provides a fun and stress-free environment.

Don’t expect too soon. Just train simple commands and try to set them up correctly to achieve your goal. Repeated failures will start training your dog instead of enjoying it. So please keep it simple.

Final Thoughts:

Golden Retrievers make good family pets, especially when they are patient with children. They are not “one-man dogs” and are usually amiable with strangers and acquaintances. They are family dogs and love their family persons. Their confident and gentle temperament makes them a poor guard dog.

Any unprovoked aggression or hostility towards people, dogs, or other animals, whether in the show ring or the community, is considered unacceptable in the Golden Retriever and does not suit the breed’s character, nor should a Golden Retriever be unduly nervous or timid. These dogs are naturally intelligent and talkative, with great impatience to please.

In general, Golden Retrievers are great family dogs unless you keep in mind their need for exercise and training. These are dogs that work hard, and they love to work especially retrieval.

Retrievers are frequently good with other dogs, other pets, and children as long as training reduces their natural happiness. They are sturdy dogs and need some obedience training at an early age, or they can be seen dragging their owners on the road at will.

Due to their passionate nature, Golden Retrievers who are left alone or do not exercise well can become destructive and show abnormal chewing, digging, and biting behavior. These dogs are incredibly high-energy dogs, with few exceptions of sofa potatoes.